Overview

When ten-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother are hired out as servants to help pay off their family farm's debts, Lyddie is determined to find a way to reunite her family. Hearing about all the money a girl can make working in the textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, she makes her way there, only to find that her dreams of returning home may never come true. A story of determination and personal growth, Lyddie has already established itself as a classic.

“Paterson has brought a troubling time and place vividly to life, but she has also given readers great hope in the spirited person of Lyddie Worthen.” —School Library Journal, starred review

“A memorable portrait of an untutored but intelligent young woman making her way against fierce odds.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Lyddie is full of life, full of lives, full of reality.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy.” —Publishers Weekly

An ALA Notable BookAn ALA Best Book for Young AdultsA Booklist Editor's ChoiceAmerican Bookseller "Pick of the Lists"School Library Journal Best Book of 1991Parents Magazine Best Book

Editorial Reviews

In 1843, three years after her father abandons his failing Vermont farm, 10-year-old Lyddie and her younger brother Charles are hired out as servants, while Mama and the two youngest children go off to live with relatives. After spending a grueling year working in a tavern, Lyddie flees to Lowell, Mass., in hopes of finding a better job that will provide enough income to pay off farm debts and allow the family to be reunited. Life continues to be a struggle after she is employed in a cloth factory, but Lyddie finds refuge from wretched working conditions by burying herself in books. Learning that she cannot return home--the family farm has been sold to Quaker neighbors--the girl is seized by a burning desire to gain independence by attending college. Readers will sympathize with Lyddie's hardships and admire her determination to create a better life for herself. Paterson ( The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks ) clearly depicts the effects of poverty during the 19th century, focusing on the plight of factory workers enslaved by their dismal jobs. Impeccably researched and expertly crafted, this book is sure to satisfy those interested in America's industrialization period. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)

Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman

Slave wages, inhuman working conditions, 13-hour days, 6 days a week seem absurd in today's work world, but this was the norm in the woolen mills of Massachusetts in the 1840's. It becomes all to real when you meet Lyddie. Determined to pay off debts on her family's farm, she becomes a machine driven by her need to bring her family together. At 14, she suffers, endures, and finally matures into the kind of woman she respects as do the readers. This is a powerful story, beautifully written that you will want to read again and again.